Cong paid lip service to remove poverty but PM Modi brought about changes in lives of poor: Amit Shah

The Congress only talked about removing poverty and its famous Garibi Hatao slogan failed to yield results but Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought about changes in the lives of the poor in the last eight years through various schemes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday.Referring to the Gujarat model of development, he also said that Modis efforts as the then chief minister ensured water sufficiency which played a crucial role in the development of the state.

The Congress only talked about removing poverty and its famous ''Garibi Hatao'' slogan failed to yield results but Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought about changes in the lives of the poor in the last eight years through various schemes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday.

Referring to the Gujarat model of development, he also said that Modi's efforts as the then chief minister ensured water sufficiency which played a crucial role in the development of the state. ''In the Congress' rule, government schemes remained on paper for years. Indiraben (PM Indira Gandhi) was tired of calling ''garibi hatao,'' (remove poverty), but it made no change...Slogans were raised to remove poverty, but it gave no result. But within eight years, Narendrabhai (PM Narendra Modi) implemented many schemes on the ground to make changes in the lives of the poor, and the organisation (BJP) took these schemes to the people,'' he said.

Because of Modi, LPG cylinders, toilets, bank accounts, electricity and other utilities became available to people at their doorstep, Shah said. The PM is now taking drinking water to the houses of the poor, and as many as 60 crore people were given 'Ayushmaan Bharat' cards for health services free till Rs 5 lakh, he said.

''If the government makes projects and people do not know about them, then they will remain on paper. We had seen this during the Congress rule,'' he added.

Shah attended two events in his Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, where he took part in a ground-breaking ceremony and inaugurated projects worth Rs 274 crore to improve the drinking water supply, sewage network and road connectivity. He also laid the foundation stone for the beautification of a lake at Sanand in Ahmedabad.

Elections are due in Gujarat in December this year.

''From once being the biggest obstacle in Gujarat's development, water has become the biggest potential for the same, with the changes happening in the last 10-12 years due to the initiatives taken by Narendra Modi, '' he said.

Whether it is about building lakhs of check dams, filling up over 10,000 lakes using the Narmada river water, taking Narmada water to remote areas through SAUNI Yojana or allocating the budget to conserve groundwater, Modi accomplished these tasks with the help of various cooperatives and religious organisations and also ensured pthe articipation of the industry and NGOs to make Gujarat water-sufficient, he said.

Shah said the prime minister's call to create 75 ''Amrit Sarovars'' in each district during the Centre's 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' to mark India's 75 years of Independence, will help conserve water and provide it to the people, animals and birds.

''Narnedrabhai (PM Narendra Modi) took all the yojanas to the public, and this was started in Gujarat (when he was the chief minister),'' he said.

Shah also said that Modi ensured that development touches the lives of every person whether he lives in rural areas, cities, or forests. This is the Gujarat model that made people all over the country vote for Modi (as the prime minister), he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)